Seductive Journalism Versus Slut-shaming

Don’t be ridiculous. There’s a big difference between seductive journalism and slut-shaming. Click the header image for a full view. Notice the young lady portraying a journalist. Though not scantily clad, she appears to have too much of her bosom exposed, and it looks vulgar, hence seductive journalism. The woman on the right is clearly in the ambit of scantily clad.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, slut-shaming is “the action or fact of stigmatizing a woman for engaging in behavior judged to be promiscuous or sexually provocative.” Gay men can be stigmatized similarly. In contrast, seductive journalism concerns women or men in the news industry who dresses in such a sexually provocative manner in that it infringes upon the norms of professional dress, and as a result, creates a needless distraction while broadcasting the news. For example, news audiences may become annoyed by female and male journalists who expose their cleavages or hairy chests on camera. Moreover, journalists could give the impression that dressing provocatively sells the news, and not so much any substantive content provided as news. Grab a seductive journalism tee.

Below, although Kate’s dress is a body-fitted one, it doesn’t appear overly sexually provocative. On the other hand, Lauren’s top has an exceedingly low neckline, which could be a distraction for news audiences. As a female news anchor, Kate’s dress sets a benchmark for being chic and adequately dressed, as she has excellent posture and camera presence.